An image processing apparatus includes: an interface unit for acquiring a readout image produced by capturing an image formed on a medium; a storage unit for storing a plurality of templates generated by superimposing different amounts of blurring on a prescribed pattern contained in the image, and for storing the amounts of blurring superimposed on the respective templates; and a processing unit adapted to detect a pattern region where the prescribed pattern is located on the readout image, calculate the degree of matching between the pattern region and each of the plurality of templates and, based on the degree of matching, identify a template that most closely matches the prescribed pattern located on the readout image, and estimate that the amount of blurring corresponding to the most closely matching template represents the amount of blurring superimposed on the readout image.